His Butler, Affectionate
by only.a.small.fish
Summary: Sebastian has discovered the human holiday of Christmas and refuses to let Ciel spend another one without any gifts, even if it's not Christmas yet. Day 2 of 12 Days of Shipmas.


Daylight flooded the expansive bedroom, the sparse amount of dust that had collected overnight was flung into the air as the drapes were swung open enthusiastically. The bright early morning light fell directly onto sleepy eyes which were scrunched instantly as it hit them. The owner of these eyes groaned and rolled over to hide his face from the harsh stab the light inflicted on his tender organs of sight. Once in the semi-darkness, they relaxed and Ciel Phantomhive slid back into dreams. However, another being in the room was not having it.

"Young master…" Sebastian said, sweeping around the edge of the bed and crouching in front of his master's sleeping face. With a one gloved hand, he removed the white garment from the other and reached out to the sleeping form before him. With a gentle thumb, he began to caress the porcelain cheek slowly.

"My lord, it's time to wake up," he said softly. Ciel furrowed his elegant eyebrows slightly at the sound of his butler's voice but did not stir. Sebastian tried again.

"I have some fresh tea for you master, a warm Oolong," he said, trying to tempt Ciel awake. When that tactic proved fruitless, he resolved to change his plan of attack. The butler brought his face close to the young earl's and spoke a warning to him rather loudly.

"Young master, if you do not wake, I shall be forced to take drastic measures," he said. At the sound of the loud voice, Ciel made a noise of discomfort and swatted sleepily at the air.

"S'not time...sleep…" he murmured lazily. Sebastian watched him for a moment, hoping that 'drastic measures' would indeed be needed. To his joy, they were. Ciel had fallen back asleep again. A devilish grin on his face, Sebastian clambered elegantly onto the mattress, keeping his face within close proximity to his master's. When he was seated comfortably on the bed, he placed one hand on either side of his master's head and studied Ciel's sleeping form. Having concluded that Ciel was indeed asleep again, Sebastian began to orchestrate his plan.

First he nuzzled his nose against the cheek of the earl, brushing his long eyelashes against the pale skin. When this earned no response from Ciel, he turned to lightly kissing the closed eyes, softly, one after the other. Ciel stirred slightly, muttering something incoherent. He tried to open his eyes, but they were still heavy with sleep.

"Tut tut, young master," Sebastian said softly, lifting his head slightly away from his master's. "I suppose this calls for stage three."

He brought his face close to the earl's once again, but this time, his lips found those of his master. He kissed Ciel softly and sweetly, but it was enough to wake him. Sebastian felt Ciel struggle to push him off and sat up deliberately.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Ciel demanded, wiping his mouth and glaring at Sebastian angrily, his face a deep shade of crimson.

"Good morning young master," Sebastian responded calmly, bowing his head slightly. Ciel fumed at him.

"Oh, good morning to you," he snarled sarcastically, kicking off the blankets and standing quickly. Sebastian approached him immediately and began to unbutton his nightshirt. Ciel watched him with a cautious stare.

"Don't think that just because I've let you court me allows you to molest my sleeping body in the mornings," Ciel declared haughtily. Sebastian smirked playfully.

"I did say that I would resort to drastic measures if you did not wake," he replied. Ciel huffed in annoyance.

"Do you expect me to hear you when I'm unconscious?" he demanded. Sebastian chuckled lightly, sliding the nightshirt off Ciel's back and standing, slinging the garment over his arm. He set it down on the bed and retrieved the clothes he had laid out the night before.

"I apologise master, but I cannot promise it won't happen again," he teased, beginning to dress his lord. Ciel gave him an apprehensive look as he slid his arm into the sleeve of his shirt. Sebastian purred as he made his way down the line of buttons, his nimble, efficient fingers working at lightning speed.

"Ah, wrapping up such a gift, it's quite the shame. Something so beautiful should be put on display," he mused. However, his joke earned him a smart smack on the head.

"Sebastian. Behave yourself." Ciel said flatly, but still going a bit red. Sebastian stifled a chuckle.

"Apologies, my lord."

Ciel lifted his head haughtily as Sebastian continued to dress him in a soft, velveteen suit of a deep, wine red. Ciel inspected himself curiously.

"This is new," he commented curiously. "Is it from Lizzie?"

Sebastian smiled knowingly. "No sir, it is not from the Lady Elizabeth."

"Who then?"

"From me, sir."

Ceil was baffled. He looked from Sebastian, to the suit and back again, as if seeing

both for the first time.

"You?!" he demanded incredulously. Sebastian smiled again and bowed.

"It is the first of many presents today my lord,"

"What do you mean? I thought I had dance lessons today."

Sebastian's smile continued to grow wider. "I've canceled all scheduled arrangements today my lord. I've also sent Finni, Baldroy, Mei-Rin and Tanaka off to the fair for the day. It shall just be you and I," he explained. Ciel stared at him, lost for words. When he finally did find his voice, all he could croak out was one solitary word.

"Why?"

His butler smiled again, softly this time, something very unusual for the demon.

"Because I wanted to spend time with you," he stated simply and swept out of the room with a swish of his tails. Ciel remained rooted to the spot for a solid three minutes before coming to his senses and dashing off down the hall after Sebastian. Unfortunately, the butler had disappeared and wasn't in any of the rooms Ciel checked. He had searched nearly the whole house before realizing how daft he'd been. He knew exactly where Sebastian was.

Sebastian was adding the finishing touches to an elegant chocolate mont-blanc when Ciel clattered into the kitchen, sweaty and breathless.

"What...are you...doing?" he wheezed, placing a hand on the doorframe to stabilize himself. Sebastian looked up and immediately put down the frosting sugar he'd been holding. Within seconds he was by his master's side, clutching a glass of water and supporting him with hands covered in flour and sugar, an expression of worry painted across his face.

"My lord, are you alright?"

Ciel swatted him away and leant against the wall. "I'm fine Sebastian." he said, but the sound emitting from his lungs told otherwise.

"Young master, you must not exert yourself like this!" Sebastian exclaimed, refusing to let go of Ciel's arm. "You must remember your asthma." He handed the glass of water to Ciel, which he drank readily.

He was replied to by a cough and a garbled sentence. "Well, I wouldn't have been running if you hadn't been so bloody mysterious!" Ciel exclaimed. Sebastian frowned and led Ciel over to a chair, aiding him to sit.

"My deepest apologies, young master. Please, forgive me."

Ciel glared at him. "Fine, but not so quickly next time." Sebastian nodded.

"I understand master."

The young earl melted into his chair, even though it was a hard, wooden piece of furniture, very different from the comfy armchair in his study. He took a few long, languid breaths before speaking again, Sebastian eyeing him cautiously.

"So, what is this all about?" he demanded in the highest authority voice he could muster. Sebastian clapped his soiled hands on the apron he was wearing and cleared his throat.

"The human celebration of Christmas is a time when families, friends…" he paused, "and lovers...exchange gifts with one another. I have noticed that you do not receive many gifts on Christmas, aside from those of Lady Elizabeth, and I decided that I should take the initiative upon myself to purchase you some."

"I am not a child Sebastian!" Ciel exclaimed in outrage. "I don't concern myself with Christmas presents and toys. Besides, it's not even Christmas yet."

Sebastian nodded, smiling again. "Did I not say 'lovers'?" he asked slyly. Ciel felt his cheeks burn.

"It's not Christmas yet," he repeated, averting his eyes. Sebastian approached him, kneeling down and taking his smaller hand into his long, elegant fingers.

"I don't really think it matters. Is a man not allowed to shower his partner with gifts?" he asked. Ciel tried to pull his hand away, but Sebastian's grip was tight.

"Sebastian…" he began to say, but was interrupted by a finger being placed to his lips.

"Hush. Allow me to pamper you, just for one day," Sebastian said. "Please?" Ciel looked down at the floor and closed his eyes, letting out an eventual sigh.

"Fine. But only one day," he said finally. Sebastian beamed.

"Excellent! Shall we begin?" he suggested happily. Ciel rolled his eyes and nodded reluctantly. The butler shed his apron immediately and washed his hands. He escorted Ciel up to the dining room, but in a much different way than usual. He picked him up.

"Put me down you ruddy bastard!" Ciel fumed as Sebastian lifted him from the chair. Sebastian pretended to pout.

"But you said I could pamper you," he said in voice mocking disappointment. Ciel huffed and crossed his arms across his chest.

"You can be so difficult sometimes. Just get me up to the dining room," he grumbled. Sebastian grinned and nuzzled his face into Ciel's cheek, much to the earl's annoyance.

"Will you stop that?" he cried. "I'm not sure I'm liking this affectionate version of you."

"I certainly am," Sebastian said cheerfully, taking long, swift strides down the hall.

Sebastian had not been lying. After a breakfast of all of Ciel's favourite cakes and fruits, they embarked on a troupe throughout the house, Sebastian helping Ciel to unveil all of the gifts he had hidden. By lunch time, Ciel had received six books, three teacups, five new suits, a sweater and a large basket of sweets.

"Sebastian, I don't know what's gotten into you!" Ciel said over his soup. "You've become one of those star-struck lovers from one of Lizzie's novels."

Sebastian chuckled and kissed Ciel lightly on the temple.

"I know. It's rather fun, isn't it?"

"This had better not become a regular thing Sebastian."

"It won't be, I promise."

"Good, it's very disconcerting."

Tea time arrived far sooner than Ciel had expected. He would never admit it, but he was rather enjoying himself. Sebastian was indeed pampering him, treating him very differently from their usual placid interactions. Despite what he'd said, he had begun to like the way that Sebastian was peppering him with kisses and whispering sweet words into his ear.

As he had done earlier, Sebastian carried Ciel to the dining room for tea. He seated Ciel gently down into his elegant chair at the head of the table. He bowed and exited, returning to the kitchens to fetch the food, leaving Ciel alone in the room. Once he'd left, Ciel looked down at his empty plate and discovered a small red box, tied with a black ribbon. Curious, he lifted it up and inspected it for clues that would hint at the contents. When he found nothing, he righted the box in his palm and tugged at the ribbon. It fell over the edges of his hand and he began to remove the lid cautiously. When he did, he was not able to contain the gasp that escaped his throat.

Nestled in black velvet was a ring. Made of what appeared to be white gold, it was set with a heavy, blood red garnet that was held in by little clamps fashioned like claws. With shaking hands, he pulled it from its casing and held it gingerly in his palm. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, it was beautiful. Of all the gifts he had received that day, this was by far the best one.

At that moment, Sebastian returned with the tea cart. The gentle clatter the dishes made seemed amplified by the pregnant silence in the room. Ciel looked up as he entered, the ring clutched in his grasp, staring speechlessly at the butler. Sebastian noticed the ring in his hand immediately and smiled almost shyly, if such an emotion was even possible for the demon. He parked the cart by the door and walked quietly over to his shocked master. Upon reaching him, he took the ring from his palm and lowered himself down to one knee. Taking his dumbfounded master's hand in his own, he carefully slid the ring onto his ring finger. It fit perfectly and Ciel managed to discover his voice again.

"S-Sebastian…" he stammered, still lost for words. Sebastian smiled, standing. He leant over and planted a soft kiss to Ciel's lips.

"When you're ready my love," he whispered. "I'll wait until you're ready."


End file.
